Love in the time of the Dead by Tera Shanley

Hey everyone,

The book:

Laney Landry has been fighting Deads alongside her brother and friends for three years. But she has a secret. She’s immune to Dead bites and has to find the right people to trust with the information. Her team rallies around her to find a doctor who can extract a vaccine from Laney which could fight the virus that ended the world. 

Sean Daniels leads a colony that provides her team with much needed shelter and supplies. He is obviously interested in Laney. The question is whether he’s only intrigued by her as a source for the possible vaccine, or for something more. Tests for the cure might push her body beyond what it can endure, and just as she faces a ghost from her past, her longtime teammate Derek Mitchell hints at an interest in more than just her Dead slaying abilities. 

Two honorable and alluring men -- one colossal decision to make. Despite historically bad taste in men, can she rise above the chaos of the apocalypse and choose the one who deserves her heart? The right choice could mean the difference between surviving…and just living.

My Thoughts:

First things first, I LOVE this cover! It is one of the most beautifully artistic covers I’ve seen for a zombie based romance in ages. In fact it was the cover that first attracted me to this novel and I’m so glad I ended up buying it, it was quite simply perfect for me.

In theory I shouldn’t have liked it, as I normally hate, and avoid, books that offer the reader two men that the heroine could be romantically interested in. Yet something inside told me to give this book ago, partly because I loved the concept; as mentioned in a previous post I currently love zombie, apocalyptic based romances. One of the reasons I loved this book was due to the main character of Laney, she was feisty, determined, sarcastic but also loyal to those she loved. One of my favourite lines from Love in the time of the Dead was Laney talking about her ex Adam:

“Maybe if she apologised for... what? Existing while her boyfriend cheated?”

Part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was due to the sarcastic, almost sly humour that is scattered throughout the book. I felt that although the zombies were a constant and very real threat, they didn’t dominate the book, allowing the romance and the development of the relationships to take centre stage. This is definitely a romance with an action element, but it didn’t lack character development as I certainly felt a real connection with all the character, as demonstrated by me crying when I read it.

Certainly part of the conflict arises from Laney choosing between Mitchell and Sean, and I’ll be honest I was in the Sean camp for the majority of the book, but that’s because I have a weakness for alpha-assholes. Mitchell I felt was more like a Beta pretending to be an Alpha, he was an action-hero with a secret sweetness that was hidden from everyone including the heroine for a long time. This is fundamentally Laney choosing between the man who has always been there for her, the best friend figure or the impactful, self-assured leader with a strong sense of loyalty and family. I loved watching Laney trying to understand her emotions and figure out if her feelings were real or just a product of circumstance. 

“No matter what her loyal heart said to the contrary, her logic couldn’t argue with experience. Despite this knowledge, the rejection stung like the crack of a whip"

I though Tera Shanley did a great job of making me like both Mitchell and Sean, however, I do think Laney made the right decision in the end. She chose the person who loved her unconditionally, who made her a better person and who gave her the freedom to be herself. Also no I’m not telling you who she picked, you’ll just have to read the book and find out for yourself. This is definitely a book with an element of angst, although not to the extent of some NA novels, they are just too much for me personally. Basically you should read this book if you love zombies, strong female heroines and relationship angst.

My rating:

Happy reading and see you next time!